Angelique Saffle called calendulas hearty when she meant hardy, but Saffle should definitely be forgiven for that slip.
After all, calendulas, a flower of the marigold family, have a secure spot in Saffle’s heart.
“I just love that flower,” she said.
Saffle, an entrepreneur from North Bend has dedicated most of the last eight years to study, research and preach the virtues of the calendula, a flower known for its curative powers on human skin.
Saffle grows her own calendulas in Snohomish and at the foot of Mount Si; she gets her own children to pick the flower; she uses her own flowers to produce calendula extract, and then she sells that via her company, Bodyceuticals Organic Body Care, and the store she co-owns in North Bend.
The flower grows best in organic soil, free of pesticides and chemicals, she said. Calendula is particular in that it’s resilient in some ways and delicate in others. On one hand, it requires constant attention and lots of water. On the other hand, when the deer come through the field, they can barely make a dent.
“It’s very robust,” she said. “It’s composed of a powerful array of antioxidants, a very strong flower, resistant to disease and pets, but it does need lots of water, sun and some really good soil.”
Robust it must be, because research has shown that calendula has been used for health purposes since the 12th century, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center’s website.
The virtue of calendula, Saffle explained, is in its petals. There, scientists have found a pungent, sticky, resinlike substance that houses the chemical compounds the flower is most noted for — curing all sorts of skin ailments.
Some experts have warned that calendula is no magic potion.
The Canadian website Planet Botanic Canada gave calendula high praise, calling it “the fancy cosmetics’ companies’ worst enemy.”
Nevertheless, it warned that use of calendula alone cannot counter the effects of overall bad health, calling the skin “a barometer” of the body’s condition.
Still, Saffle vouched for her yellow-and-green friend.
“It’s got no toxic effects. It’s edible,” she said. “That right there should tell you that it’s safe. You can grow it and put it in your salad.”
Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext. 221, or smoraga@snovalleystar.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.
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